1998.
FCU Submarine Base, Seals Bridge, Usea.
The Lurker surfaces at the regular time to see the Dragonet sisters there waiting again. They've been trying for the past 3 years to get the Base Commander to have a peaceful meeting with her. This time, the man himself is stood with them. He orders, "Surface fully and come on out. It seems we need to talk."
Considering the soldiers with him aren't aiming at her right now, she cautiously obeys instead of swimming away. She climbs up onto the pier, helped up by the Dragonets. The Siren asks, "By the way, do you have any idea how annoying it is to swim all the way down that ravine to here?" As she holds hands with a blushing Fensalir.
The Lurker is taken to an interrogation room. The Supersubs sit either side of her and the CO sits opposite. He orders the armed guards to leave the room and he begins, "So… you're the one Folkvangr and Fensalir were speaking highly of. First thing's first. Were you the one leaking intel about them to the Yukes?"
"Uh, what?" The Lurker asks.
"We are well aware by now that the Yuktobanian Navy has developed two of their own Submarines that look very similar to ours; Hrimfaxi and Scinfaxi. We have a leak somewhere, as word of our project is known only to the personnel on this base, and you're the only outsider that Folkvangr and Fensalir have ever talked to."
"Yuktobania has Supersubs too? How interesting… but no. I've been close by the whole time. I'm not even sure where their land is." The Lurker answers.
"In the interest of maintaining friendly relations with you and whoever you serve, I'll take your word for it, for now. Just remember, any knowledge you learn stays on this base. Anyway, it seems we have you to thank for helping train the Dragonets. We weren't allowed any experienced Submarine shipgirls, so your assistance is much appreciated. That is, of course, if you were doing it to help us."
The Lurker replies, "Uh, of course I was. I saw them struggling to control their far too big Subs, so I showed them how to use their riggings instead."
"Riggings?" The CO asks.
"Yeah. Show him, girls. Just know that they won't be able to launch ballistic missiles this way, before you get too excited."
The sisters stand and go to separate corners of the room to have the space. They summon their riggings that seem twice as big as their own bodies.
Suddenly alarms blare on the base and a soldier bursts in to the room, "Commander! The Subs! They're gone! Whoa…" he trails off as he sees the two massive riggings.
The Lurker shrugs, "Oh, yeah… I should've mentioned that…"
"Mentioned what!?" The CO demands.
"Go ahead and cancel your alarms, Commander. Your Subs aren't gone, they've been turned into their riggings." The Siren explains.
"Very well." He radios to cancel the alarm. "How is that even possible, though? I assume it's similar technology to how they can control their ships to begin with?"
"Right. The power of the Wisdom Cube. But first, I want to make a deal." Lurker answers.
"I'm listening. What do you want?"
"Information for information. I tell you everything on the power of the Cubes, in exchange, you tell me where the hell you got them from and how you first discovered how to Awaken Kansen." The Siren demands.
"…" the CO lights a cigar and takes a puff. After some thought, he says, "Very well, but that is information regarded as top-secret. I assume we will be able to trust you with it?"
"Of course." Lurker answers ominously. "Besides, the information I offer is far more important…"
"Well, then. Where to begin…" the man starts. He goes to take another puff, then the alarms go off again. "Oh, what now!?"
The same soldier bursts in again and says, "Commander! We're under attack!"
The Dragonets rush out immediately to help defend. The Commander shoves his cigar into an ashtray and leaves the room as well. "Dammit! Will you be able to help us, Miss Lurker!?"
"Eh, why not. Could be fun."
Upon making it outside, the Lurker sees something very familiar; Siren drones attacking the base, destroying buildings and ships guarding the port. She deadpans, "Seriously? I was just about to learn everything…"
She looks for the leader of the attacking force, and sees not one, but two more Sirens walking into the base while it burns around them. Bullets bounce off their skin and they effortlessly slaughter all who stand in their way. The Lurker strolls up to them and says, "Arbiter Empress, Observer Alpha."
The Empress looks down at the Siren half her height and responds, "So this is where you've been, Lurker. What have you been up to?"
"Oh, yes, do tell. This place was so hard to find." The Observer adds.
"Evidently not, as you're here before the agreed upon time. I was about to find out the answers we need from the Base Commander." The Submarine Siren scolds.
"You DARE speak to ME in such a manner!?" The Empress bellows.
"Yeah, actually. You don't scare me. Anyway, if you wanna speak to him instead, he's in the command centre, probably wondering what I'm doing talking to you. Wait, who are they?" The Lurker asks, looking past her fellow Sirens to the army of other humans fighting alongside them for control of the base.
The Observer waves it off, "Oh just some Coup d' état force wanting to take over the country they call 'Usea'. They're quite resourceful."
"Miss Lurker? What's going on?" Fensalir asks from behind her.
"Ugh… Kansen…" the Empress speaks as if she just stepped in excrement. "This won't take long…" she aims a laser at her.
Instinctively, the Lurker shields the Kansen with herself, shouting, "NO, DON'T!"
"You DARE!?" The Empress again yells.
Facepalming, the Observer explains, "Are you so blinded by insecurity that you can't see how useful this one can be to us? As well as the one next to her? Analyse their riggings. They are incredibly powerful Kansen, and it seems that our dear Lurker had formed somewhat of a bond with them. This could prove rather beneficial to us and our human friends."
"Must you call these humans our friends…?" The Empress sighs.
Folkvangr stands in front of her sister to protect her further. "Who are you…? What do you want with us?" She asks as the sounds of combat die down and cheers rise up, indicating the invading force has won.
The Observer approaches the two Supersubs and analyses them up and down. "Hmm… Dragonet-class… how peculiar…"
"H…how so?" Folkvangr asks, trying to stay strong for her sister in front of the three alien-looking monsters.
The Observer explains, "The last time I heard of Submarines named after fish was back home… in our own world. The Eagle Union had quite the habit of doing just that, and now here, in this world, the same has occured… but that's just your ship class name. Your actual names are far from the names of fish."
"Wha… what are our names?" Fensalir asks nervously.
"Both your names come from realms in which Norse Goddesses were said to have ruled over." The Siren Elite answers.
The Empress chuckles, "Really, now? How fitting, considering you lowly subjects will obey us higher beings from now on." She starts laughing.
Fensalir asks, "Folky… what's gonna happen to us?"
"It's okay, Fen… I won't let harm come to you." The other Supersub promises.
The Lurker looks at them both and says, "Don't worry, I'll stop them going too far. Just do what they say and you'll be fine."
The Base Commander is dragged over to them and put on his knees. He looks up at the Lurker and scowls, "I knew I couldn't trust you…"
"And yet, you were about to tell me state secrets. Kinda stupid, if you ask me." The Submarine Siren mocks.
The Empress says, "So, this one has loose lips? Take him to the holding cells. We will learn everything he knows." She orders to the rest of the Coup d' état forces, "Lock down this base! Nobody in or out! From now on, we are at war with any who stand against us!"
They all salute her and get to work.
A silent pilot works on a plane in a hangar. His new F-16C Fighting Falcon with a red arrow on either side of the fuselage under the canopy, and a red symbol on the vertical stabiliser.
A soldier runs up to him and salutes, "Sir!"
The pilot turns around, hands covered in oil. He casually salutes to not get any on his forehead.
The soldier puts his hand down and reports, "A situation has developed, sir. You're required in the briefing room, ASAP!"
Excited that he finally got called to action again, the pilot wipes his hands roughly and runs out of the hangar, past another plane of his, much bigger and hidden under a tarp…
Once in the room, he sees only two other pilots in the room, his wingmen, John Herbert and Kei Nagase, fellow mercenaries who have been hired by the Usean Allied Forces, codenames "Slash" and "Edge" respectively. They all share a brief nod as the man takes a seat. This must be serious if all three of them are present.
Their briefing officer and Commander wastes no time as he switches on the screen. He begins, "Welcome, pilots. I am Commander Ulrich Olsen. Callsign 'Keynote'. A Coup d' état broke out in the military corps' general area code NA-P2700. The saw an opportunity during a time when their leaders were away from the country on a diplomatic mission.
It is thought that these Rebels are working alongside beings similar to the still-unknown young woman that was seen aiding the terrorists of A World With No Boundaries three years ago, but these claims are currently just rumours.
After the forces captured the centre of administration, they seized control of important facilities in each district. They are expanding their influence while strengthening their fighting power. Their military capabilities include air and sea forces, including unconfirmed reports of Kansen. It has been confirmed, however, that they possess extra-powerful cruise missiles.
To respond to the Rebel Forces, the military headquarters made a decision to use the Special Tactical Fighter Squadron, 'Scarface', which consists of you, my fellow pilots.
We want you to go out on this mission and suppress the Coup d' état forces immediately. You will receive all-out support from our military corps, full information regarding the rebels, full cooperation through our intelligence division, and military supplies."
"Living the life of luxury here, huh?" Slash says, earning a chuckle from his flight lead.
Giving the joke a smile himself, Keynote finishes, "The situation is tense and there's no time to waste. Take on this mission immediately. That is all."
Scarface Squadron leave the room and go to the hangar. Scarface 1 looks at the plane under the tarp, but shakes his head and goes back to the F-16.
It's only a small army of Rebels, he thinks.
On a custom console he had installed himself in his cockpit, a hologram shows a 3D map of the battlefield they'll be flying over for the first mission with a yellow arrow representing him and his wingman.
Siren technology salvaged from Avalon Dam after the incident went out for considerable amounts of money. Being good at his job, the mercenary scooped some up and had this modification made by one Dr. Morgan of a secret aviation research and development facility. It seems he is able to anything with the right amount of money and technology.
While crews get the pilot's plane ready for sorties, he gets an urgent transmission from the Commander. He begins, "Scarface 1, a new situation has just developed. This is a rush sortie mission, so you'll have to go up alone. We have received information that an enemy invasion unit is approaching our front base. It's a small unit with bombers as its main force. Take-off immediately and shoot them down! Your target is the B-52 bomber unit. Good luck!"
Red blips appear on the map and his radar. He flicks off the 3D map as the hangar doors open. He wastes no time taxiing out onto the runway, performing emergency checks and lifting off.
Two Rebel A-4 Skyhawks engage him and are subsequently shot down. Too easy for Scarface 1. With them dealt with, the ace moves onto the B-52s, downing one immediately.
A pilot of one of the bombers radios, "Dammit, they got one of ours! Was it the Allied Forces?"
The voice of the Empress roars, "Grow a pair and carry on with your mission! I don't care about one little fighter! I want that base neutralised!" Before cutting out.
The Observer asks condescendingly, "Now now, your Evilness, that's not a very nice way to speak to your subordinates, is it?"
The Empress glares at her.
"Besides…" the smaller Siren shrugs, "Perhaps this pilot may be worth something if he's the only one here. Let's watch him."
"Ugh… fine…" the Empress sighs reluctantly.
As well as B-52s, Scarface 1 sees B-1s mixed in, too. No matter, a bomber's a bomber. Not even a challenge.
The fighters, however, prove to be more experienced and put up a fight. Even though Scarface 1 is outnumbered, he picks them all off eventually.
Keynote radios, "All Rebel aircraft destroyed. Intel wasn't kidding. They've got some serious fighter power. This war's just going to get tougher from here on out. We're counting on you, Phoenix. Alright, return to base."
"Not even a single bomb was dropped!? Why did we even bother letting these useless humans do the job!?" The Empress yells.
"Because it's best not to use our mass-produced aircraft too much, Your Maliciousness." The Onserver rolls her eyes. "We can't afford to attract too much attention to our existence after Zero's little campaign."
"What she did was foolish. Using nuclear warheads… we're here to find a way back, yet she's happy to just wait for Azur Lane to come for us. I'd rather have our own means of returning should her plan fail again." The taller one counters.
"Again?"
"Our plan failed in the Atlantic, did it not? Every time we managed to loop when Azur Lane succeeded in their Operation Siren, but this time?" The Empress explains.
"But that was out if our control. None of us could've predicted—"
"SILENCE! Plan the next attack! If that lead pilot keeps going, they could show promise…"
Observer analyses the flight data of Scarface 1 and intercepted transmissions between him and Keynote.
Could it be?
"Hmm…"
"What is it, Observer?" The Empress asks.
"Tell me, Your Highness, do you remember… the Phoenix?"
"Of course. That one ace pilot with a ridiculously-painted plane who Zero wants us to find and test further. Wait… you think that's him?"
"Yes." The Observer answers. "This pilot has the same callsign. I believe that we should test this pilot and see if it really is him, and then capture him, just like the Demon Lord."
"…Very well." She uses her radio.
A rebel Commander answers, "Yes, Empress?"
"Commence the reconnaissance mission. I want to know every move that pilot makes. We will send fighter escorts to aid you." The tall Siren orders, much to the Observer's annoyance, as she had just advised her not to do exactly that.
"Yes, ma'am!" The man replies.
A Siren Elite overlooks Avalon Dam, its missile silos now demolished. It's been returned to its original primary purpose as a hydro-electric plant.
Her Enforcer, Harmony, reports to her, "Temperence, I have discovered the plans for countermeasures against Ulysses 1994XF04."
"The meteor? Very well, send me the plans."
"Understood. Sending." Harmony obeys.
Temperance looks at the names of the countermeasures the different nations are taking.
ANTI-ASTEROID LASER
ARKBIRD
NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENCE
STONEHENGE
CHANDELIER
FORTRESS INTOLERANCE
"Keep me updated. This is getting interesting..." Temperance orders as she starts reading them.
"Yes, Temperance." Harmony smiles.
Scarface Squadron responds to an air alert of a rebel recon unit consisting of C-17s and E-767s along with unknown fighter aircraft flying over the Lambert Mountains. Once again, no challenge, but Scarface Squadron had been warned of a possible enemy ace squadron as multiple Allied planes had been shot down in the region, so Nagase and Herbert join Phoenix on this mission.
Soon, they engage the enemy aces in combat. They prove more difficult than the last squadron, but nothing Scarface can't handle. Soon, they're the only ones in the airspace.
"Well done, Scarface. This should cut off the enemy's supply- Damn, spoke too soon. Enemy fighters closing in!" Keystone updates.
"This is Lancer 2 to Lancer 1. Our target is the Allied Forces—"
Cutting him off, the flight lead says "I've read the report. We're going up against some mercenary dogs. They're nothing more than lowly hacks compared to us. Lancer Squadron, show them just who rules the skies!"
Lancer 2, 3 and 4 reply, "Roger!" In unison.
Scarface look forward and see the reinforcements. Expecting more aces, they see four F-14 Tomcats accompanied by mass-produced Siren fighters, meaning they have to work even harder to defeat them. Unable to tell what planes the Siren aircraft are, they exercise extreme caution, especially when they pull off manoeuvres that would make any pilot black out as they guard Lancer Squadron.
"Lancer Squadron, get ready! CHARGE!"
Lancer and Scarface joust each other, all guns blazing.
Only Lancer 1 survives out of his squadron, they others taken out by the three members of Scarface.
"My entire squadron… defeated!? I'll make you pay for this outrage!" He suddenly gets a missile alert as Phoenix loops around and starts chasing him. "Behind me!? Can't catch me!"
When Edge damages him with bullets, he yells, "You think you've got me!?"
With the last missile, Phoenix downs Lancer 1 while his wingmen kept the Sirens off of him. It was a good call to have them with him this time.
Lancer 1 gives his final words, "I'm going down!" Right before he crashes into a mountain with no time to eject.
Eventually, when Nagase destroys the last Siren plane, instead of blowing up, the lights on it switch off and its engines power down, gliding down to the ground. Seeing a salvage opportunity, Nagase contacts Ulrich, "Commander, requesting a salvage operation on that last fighter. It could prove useful. The rebels have technology that I believe should have the Usean Allied Forces concerned."
"Understood, Scarface 3. Sending the request now. All enemy aircraft have been destroyed. Job well done, Scarface Squadron. Those ances and their strange drone escorts came out of nowhere, but you handled them well. Let's head home."
"Yes, sir." Edge and Slash reply as they form up with Phoenix.
Captain Matias Torres stands on the bow of Battleship Tanager. He takes a deep breath of the salty sea air and is joined by the Kansen under his direct command.
He looks up at the muscular goddess towering over him. He smiles and says, "You're up early."
"Well, it's easy to sleep in peacetime. How are you doing today, sir?" Tanager replies in her usual calm and caring tone.
"Fine. Just looking out at the rest of the fleet. Just wondering if it really is 'Invincible'." Torres answers.
"Of course it is. Both Geofon and I have been Awoken, and almost everyone else has been, too. It's just taken years because the Cubes are getting increasingly rare. With Raven, the Destroyers, Frigates and the Subs with us, nothing can stand against us." She raises her right hand into a fist and flexes her massive bicep in front of herself.
Smiling, Torres says, "I appreciate your optimism, but there's something I don't quite understand…"
"What is it?" Tanager looks down at him.
"It's just… no offence, but I don't understand why you're the flagship when we have Geofon in the fleet. You have all the responsibility when she is the most powerful ship here." The Captain answers.
"Yeah… I thought that too… I asked Geo about it, but she refused to take the flagship position. Said she wasn't interested." The Battleship says as she starts to do stretches.
"Fair enough… though… it would be better if we never did have to fight to begin with…"
"Why's that, sir?"
"…Nevermind… just some thoughts I've been having…" Torres answers with a dark tone.
Concerned, Tanager gingerly puts her hand on his shoulder, "…Captain Torres? Do you… want to talk about it?"
"…I…"
Before he can speak more, the Kansen of the Destroyer Herne jumps up to them and salutes, "Captain!"
"What is it?" Torres asks as he returns the salute.
"Sir! A Coup d' état has broken out! You've been requested to assist in fighting them, Sir!"
Tanager palms her fist, "Aw, hell, yeah! Finally, I can—"
Herne interrupts, "Without you, Flagship Tanager."
"…what?" The Battleship asks.
Torres looks at the Destroyer and guess, "Is it too risky to have the Flagship with us?"
The Destroyer nods as she looks up at him. "Yes, sir. Command wants Miss Tanager to stay here with Miss Geofon and guard the port."
"Sorry, Miss Tanager. It looks like I'm transferring over to the Herne for now. Seems like these rebels aren't even worth your time. Look after the fleet while we're away."
Saluting, the Battleship responds, "Aye, Captain!" Hiding the disappointment she feels as Torres disembarks her vessel on a boat being pulled by Herne over to her Destroyer. "When am I gonna have a real fight…?"
In a major Yuktobanian military harbour, a team of scientists working on Kansen and warships designs a new Supersubmarine. Having built the Hrimfaxi and the Scinfaxi, this one will even bigger and equipped with a runway to launch planes, AA guns, Siren energy shields and the ability to launch nuclear projectiles through a huge railgun rather than missiles, allowing them to fly faster, be impossible to intercept and invisible to radar. This will be essentially a massive nuclear-equipped submersible Aircraft Carrier, capable of stealth and able to strike at almost any target imaginable.
The two tall Supersubs themselves are also present and assisting in anything they possibly can, fully invested in working on their new little half-sister.
The lead scientist thanks a short Siren who is helping them with the technology of the new vessel. He says, "With your help, Miss Lurker, this ship will be the pride of the Yuktobanian Navy!"
"Yeah, sure. What are you calling it, then?" The Siren asks.
"We're not dead-set on the name yet, but we decided to just have project name first. Here." He points to the rough sketches.
Above the designs, the Lurker reads the name.
"Project Alicorn."